Editor:
White Poppies For Peace made their first appearance on Armistice Day 1933. The Women's Co-operative Guild - many of them mothers, sisters, widows and sweethearts of men killed in the First World War - anxiously noted the growing domestic and international tensions. They saw that the "war to end all wars" could well be followed by an even worse war. The white poppy was born out of this concern and to rally support for a resistance to war.
How prescient they were. Since the introduction of the white poppy, there have been over 300 wars with more than two million slaughtered.
Instead of ending all wars, we have now drifted into the endless war. Since 2000, military spending has increased by 49 per cent worldwide. Here in Canada, our military budget has increased by 40 per cent since 2004. Last year military spending worldwide was estimated to be $1.53 trillion, despite the global economic crisis. We are a world gone mad when women and children go hungry while those who profit from war get richer.
The need to work for peace is urgent. The white poppy symbolizes the grief felt for everyone harmed by war and an utter rejection of war as a way to resolve conflicts. I wear a white poppy to express my ongoing commitment to these ideals and to promote a culture of peace where all conflicts are resolved without violence and with justice.
Anita Couvrette
Gibsons
